Proposal to Install Covered Walkways Throughout the FIU Campus Final

Covered Walkway proposal 4/1/2012

Campus Solutions Inc.

Campus Solutions Inc. 2012

Executive Summary

Florida International University’s Modesto Maidique Campus is wide and spread out across 342 acres. The lack of covered walkways causes problems during downpours when students are attempting to reach their next destination between classes, if they attend. When surveyed, 60% of current students answered that they have missed class due to rain. We aim to alleviate, or perhaps eliminate this problem completely.

The plan is a simple one, to establish covered walkway between key buildings across the Modesto A. Maididue Campus. There are currently only six covered walkways on campus, Campus Solutions Inc. proposes to add eleven more covered walkways over a period of two years. The areas of construction will be divided into four phases and a plan has been layout to avoid disruption of school operations. Our company has come up with three covered walkway designs to choose from, ranging from an inexpensive aluminum cover walkway to a beautiful brick and mortar covered walkway if the funds allow it.

In addition to the available budget, funds set aside for American with disabilities Act (ADA) compliance should be considered for this project. Although no codes are currently being broken, handicap transit through uncovered walkway is a valid argument to have the ADA funds released to this project.

With college enrollment at an all time high, FIU’s Facilities Management Department should strongly consider improving the campus walkways, and increase the number of new student prospects to attend the Modesto A. Maididue Campus. This in turn will increase the campus tuition which is responsible for 80% of the revenue. Considering those revenues the covered walkways project will pay for itself. It is for this reason that Campus Solution Inc. recommends including this project plan into the budget and to move forward implementing it.

Covered Walkways Proposal Page 2


Proposal Contents

Florida International UniversityModesto A. Maididue Campus Covered Walkway Improvement

Prepared for: John M. Cal Associate- Vice PresidentFlorida International University Facilities Management

Prepared by: Jorge Sanchez- Marketing (intro)Miguel Rodriguez- Project planning (plan)Jordan Garcia- Project operations (execution)Juan Colon- Financial officer (cost)

Table of Contents

Executive Summary.....................................................................................................................................2

Proposal Contents.......................................................................................................................................3

Introduction.................................................................................................................................................5

Campus Improvement Plan.........................................................................................................................6

Map of Proposed Covered Walkways..........................................................................................................7

Project Plan.................................................................................................................................................8

Project Execution.......................................................................................................................................10

Project Expenditure...................................................................................................................................10

Project Schedule........................................................................................................................................14

Survey Results...........................................................................................................................................15

Rainfall and Temperature Charts...............................................................................................................17



Work Cited.................................................................................................................................................18

Introduction

Miami is a city full of rich history and a wide array of cultures. It is a melting pot for the Americas, incorporating many different nationalities, races and customs, all fusing to create a city rivaled perhaps only by New York. While New York has the grittiness and snowstorms, we have the long, hot summer days and un-relenting thunderstorms. Put another way, Miami is also a melting pot of types of weather, lacking only snow. The weather here is entirely unpredictable, which causes a great deal of vehicular traffic and upsets individuals’ plans for the day. A few drops of rain can causes hours and miles of traffic backups and ruin the plans of thousands across Miami-Dade County.

Here on campus the problems are multiplied. Since FIU’s Modesto Maidique Campus (MMC) is so wide and spread out across 342 acres, the lack of covered walkways causes problems during a downpour for students to quickly and safely walk from one end of campus to another during a thunderstorm. We aim to alleviate, or perhaps eliminate this problem completely, while also bringing along of suite of secondary improvements to campus in order to help the FIU community as well as increase the quality of life of our peers.

Our plan is a simple one, to establish covered walkways between key buildings across the MMC. These covered walkways would in turn allow students, faculty, staff and all other who pass through and visit

our beautiful campus to do so safely during a downpour, all without getting wet! While the advantages are obvious, there are several advantages that we believe are easily overlooked. To begin with, many students choose to skip class and not risk driving in the rain, knowing full well that they will have to get drenched running from their car in Parking Garage 5 to their class in the Green Library. With rainfall averages of 8-12 inches are during the months of May through October, it is easy to see how these covered walkways could be extremely useful

to the students, faculty and staff on our campus. In addition, those who do decide to make the run through the rain sometimes end up in a chilly classroom, soaking wet. These cold, wet students and


Figure 1


faculty are at a higher risk for colds, which can spread to others like a wildfire. By eliminating these factors, students may be more likely to come to class, more likely to pass their class, and less likely to become ill and spread disease.



Campus Improvement Plan

At present there are six covered walkways at MMC, what we are proposing is a web of covered walkways that connect the majority of the campus’ classroom buildings with each other, as well as four

of the five parking garages and the dormitories on the south side of campus. You may be wondering, ‘Why not just connect every building to each other?’ While that may seem more logical, we feel it is counterproductive and would lead to a deterioration of our campus’ natural beauty. Instead we believe it is more logical for each building to be reachable, albeit indirectly, thus we preserve the majority of our campus’ natural beauty and keep a lot of the green on campus. This would not only allow people to appreciate our campus’ architecture and beauty, but save costs.

Keeping people from getting wet during a storm however are not the only benefits with our proposal. After the storm comes intense heat. During 8 out of the 12 months of the year, the average temperature in Miami is above 80 degrees ("World meteorological association," 2012). High heat combined with our location close to the equator leads to long summer days where we are constantly exposed to the sun’s UV rays. These rays, through prolonged exposure can lead to skin cancer and other conditions, such as hyperthermia (heat stroke) if you are not properly hydrated (de Gruijl, 1999). Having covered walkways across campus would allow those who are sensitive to the sun’s rays to take respite and walk comfortably to class.

The covered walkways could also have benches installed to allow students to relax between classes and have lunch, sheltered from the sun and in comfort. With proper design and engineering, the walkways could be made to harness the natural breezes on campus to funnel them through the walkways refreshing students from the relentless Miami heat. The covered walkways can also be designed to be handicap friendly, ensuring our disabled peers with a comfortable, safe way to travel between buildings. While this all may sound terribly expensive, we don’t think it is, and we have a few ideas on how to finance what we believe is a revolutionary idea to our campus.

Now some may wonder, “Why not just buy an umbrella?” While that is a valid point, there are many advantages to building a network of covered walkways over asking each and every one of FIU’s students,


Figure 2


faculty and staff to buy an umbrella. First of all, umbrella’s can get flipped inside out and blow away during heavy winds. In addition, an umbrella only covers a small area, if you are an architecture or art student carrying a large final project it is unlikely that an umbrella would reach to cover it all. A covered walkway could also provide protection to the students and staff from not only winds, but if properly grounded, from lightening as well. Also disabled students, whether they are in a wheelchair or using crutches will be able to safely move from one building to the other through the network of covered walkways without fear of slipping on a deep puddle or getting soaked. Thus, while just providing each new student and employee with an umbrella and poncho may me marginally cheaper, the safety benefits associated with building a covered walkway more than make up for the increased costs in building them.

Map of Proposed Covered Walkways

Figure 3



Project Plan

The installation of covered walkways throughout the FIU campus, for improving our campus lifestyle and comfort has some considerations to look at. To achieve our proposed project we need to consider; which walkways to cover and a timeline for completion, which permits are needs, what design to use, how to choose a contractor and overseeing the construction to the finish, how to maintain school operations during construction, how we can raising funds for cost, perform a final inspection, and setup a maintenance plan.

I. The first set to our approach will be to analyze the project area by conducting a land survey of campus walkways and a study of walkways traffic to find best location to cover. Although we have already chosen walkway locations to cover we believe with some additional information this decision can be refined. For example: we can consider distances between buildings for shortest routes, which can be derived from the land survey, also with the information gathered from the walkway traffic study we can better define the partitioning of the construction phases. This phase of the project can be reviewed by Robert Griffith of planning, of the FIU Facilities Management Department.

II. Once the quantities, locations and time of construction have been decided, the process to acquire the necessary permits will begin. A letter of our project plans will be submitted to Miami-Dade County Permitting, to attain the requirements for covered walk ways in a school campus. When we receive a response we can then begin to plan out what type of design is needed to meet building code, educational requirements, and ADA requirements. This phase of the project can be reviewed by Francisco Quintana building code administration, of the FIU Facilities Management Department.

III. With the parameters for the construction set, design plans will need to be developed. We propose to hold a competition between the FIU engineering (structure design) and FIU architectural (cosmetic design) students to see who had the best plans for our project. The contest will follow controlled specifications and rules established to meet the settings of our project. This will keep low design cost, and will only need time to consider the winning plan and any revisions needed to meet the building code. This phase of the project can be reviewed by Jose Rodriguez of operations analysis, of the FIU Facilities Management Department.

IV. A request for proposal would be released, and various contractors would bid for the project. We do have a couple of contractors listed who have experience building covered walkways, but open bidding process will wield the best contractor for the job. After filtering through our options, the contractor with the best balance for cost and quality of previous work would be hired. After a selection is made, someone will be appointed to oversee the construction process. This phase of the project can be reviewed by Jorge Padron coordinator, of the FIU Facilities Management Department.

V. The areas of construction will be divided into phases and the times for each construction phase should be analyzed to find the best time slot were school activity will be least affected by the construction. This can be derived from walkways traffic study. A schedule was created to show



how the project would be carried out throughout its duration. A detail summary on how the construction areas will be kept safe and clean for the students during construction will be required from the contractor. Planning will also consider removal of waste and debris to be provided by the contractor. This topic is further discussed in the following pages of our proposal. This phase of the project can be reviewed by Robert Griffith of planning, of the FIU Facilities Management Department.

VI. In addition to available funds specific for campus improvements, funds could be raised from alumni fund programs. Another option would be to receive funds for ADA compliance funds. Although no codes are currently being broken, handicap transit through uncovered walkway is a valid argument to have some of the ADA funds released to this project. This topic is further discussed in the following pages of our proposal. This phase of the project can be reviewed by Edward Brozic director financial services, of the FIU Facilities Management Department.

VII. Lastly a final survey and inspection will be conducted at the end of the construction process to ensure that the walkways meet all Miami-Dade County building codes and to confirm that construction was built to plans. All final documentation will be submitted to the FIU facilities management department which will take ownership and be responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the walkways.


Figure 4 Covered walkway under construction for at an elementary School in south Florida.


Project Execution

Rome wasn't built overnight and neither will the covered walkways that we propose to build at the Florida International University Modesto A. Maidique campus. With around five thousand feet of walkway to be covered, it will be a challenging task. Despite this we feel that with proper planning and implementation, build time will not be as long as one might first think. The best approach to completing this project within a timely manner will be to use the "Working in Phases" method. This means that instead of looking at the project as one big picture, we will section off the project into more manageable phases.

Due to the size of the project, we will be working in four large phases. Doing it this way allows the builders to put all their focus into one small area at a time when compared to the entire project. This helps eliminate unwanted mistakes and speeds up build time due to greater efficiency. For the type of covering we will be building, it will take about two months to complete five hundred feet. That means with 5174ft of covered walkway to build, it's going to take roughly 17.5 months to complete the project.

During the entirety of the project, no construction will take place within the three weeks following a new semester. This is to prevent any accidents or blockages during the heavy flow of student traffic in and around the campus. While we will do our best to keep within time and budget, factors like inspections and permits can delay build time. With proper planning, we hope to minimize these delays.

Upon approval, we plan to start construction immediately after spring semester has been concluded. At this point in time, the campus will have the least amount of students which means greater productivity for the builders and less chance of an accident occurring while the construction crew gets settled in. Construction will continue until each phase has been completed in order to finish the project within the given time frame.

Project Expenditure

This project will require careful budget planning in the construction of the covered walkways. We need to determine the most economical way to fund new improvements of newly covered walkways on the

campus grounds. As you know, the cover will go over already existing walkways. In some instances some sidewalks may have to be replaced due to necessary modifications but the charges were taken into consideration in the total cost. Some buildings around the campus have some cover connecting one building to another so we need to consider not only the price, but also the style and shape of the new covers. All of these covered walkways are different in design, possibly to complement the design of the nearby buildings; however, none of the building covers are designed to match one another. Special care is required in choosing the right style of cover.

The first of the existing covered walkway is by the South Entrance of the Graham University Center


Figure 5


which connects the Gold Parking Garage and the Charles Perry Building (Primera Casa). The second walkway connects the Charles Perry Building and the Deuxieme Maison. The third walkway connects the Deuxieme Maison and the Green Library. The fourth one connects the Green Library and Graham University Center. The fifth section connects the Owan Ethan to the Chemistry and Physics Building. The last section is connecting the Academic Health Center 1 with Academic Health Center 2. For examples of the existing cover walkways in campus see the figures 1 and 5. While we may think that it would be acceptable to choose any style with the focus of protecting students and faculty from the rain and sun; nevertheless, in choosing such design, we need to think of much more than just convenience and cost because it might not be aesthetically pleasing (Bows).

There are three proposed designs that would complement the architectural structure of the nearby buildings complementing the school's appearance. Not only that, we have also determined that two of the three designs are the most economical way to save on cost. The first design proposal was provided by Rusco Custom Canopies from Knoxville, Tennessee and it was proposed at $1.7 million. The construction consists of 16 inch thick and three foot high concrete poured columns placed 12 feet apart

with a wishbone design in aluminum above the concrete column which, in respect, supports the 10 foot roof width. Furthermore, the structures are architecturally pleasing and can be custom-made to match any color and texture of the columns which can be discussed pending approval of the proposal ("The many"). For example see figure 5. The second design proposal was by National Carport Industries from Reno, Nevada and it was priced at about the same price as aluminum. The construction

consists of 15 inch thick and eight foot in height concrete poured columns placed 12 feet apart with a 10 foot flat steel roof. Also, this structure can be customized to match any color and texture of the columns. For example see figure 6 For the third design, it is a common brick-and-mortar construction

with 10 by 15 inch concrete columns and is eight feet in height which supports a ten foot concrete flat roof. Due to the fact that the third design is a traditional brick and mortar construction, it can cost the school three times the amount of the previous two designs as well as future maintenance costs of painting, leak repairs, and repairs of cracked walls. Again, the look of the first two designs of covered walkways can be left as a raw material look or

stucco and paint the whole structure. All of the design proposals have different budget


Figure 6Sample covered walkway provided by Rusco Canopies.

Figure 7Sample covered walkway provided by National Carport Industries.


prices and, according to the contractor, they can be accommodated to fit any budget ("The many"). The project to consider in reducing cost will be the second design which is steel. However, steel will need some paint maintenance in future years due to corrosion of the steel. Nevertheless, aluminum is more aesthetically appealing in look and design and it tends to outlast steel. Furthermore, the only maintenance cost involved of the aluminum design is to keep the gutters clean. The whole project will be broken down in four phases with a total of 5,174 feet of covered walkway. Each phase will have a set price because each phase is different in size and length which would affect the time frame of completion. Each phase will be paid 20% of the total cost at commencement of the job and the balance will be paid in full after passing the City final permit inspections.

First Phase will consist of two parts which is priced at $410,140 and will cover 1,228 linear feet.

The first part of phase one starts by the South section of the Parking Garage 5 Market Place building. The covered walkway is about 400 feet and goes from North to South to the entry of the Chemistry & Physics Building. The other section continues from the entry of the Chemistry & Physics Building going from West to East for about 260 feet to the entry of the Academic Health Center.

The second part of phase one will start by the South side mid-center of the PG 4 Red Parking Garage and will follow the path going South until it forks at the sidewalk leading to the Owan Ethan Building on the left side and the Engineering & Computer Science Building on the right which will be 460 feet in length. This other path will go 86 feet Southeast and then it turns 22 feet to the East towards the Owan Ethan Building.

Second Phase is priced at $469,170 and will cover a total of 1,404 of linear feet.

Connecting to phase 1, the covered walkway begins by the Engineering & Computer Science Building at the Southeast corner's sidewalk. It will go West 1,050 feet and it has two connections. The first connection will be at the 400 feet mark and will be 40 feet long going South to the Viertes Haus Building, the other connection will be at 950 feet and will run 230 feet going South and at the end of the 1,050 feet going north connecting the South entrance of Sanford and Dolores Ziff Education Center.

This other section of covered walkway begins by the South entrance of the Viertes Haus connecting 50 feet to the Northwest side of the Green Library. Lastly, the following will begin by the West side entrance of the Owan Ethan Building connecting 40 feet of cover to the Northeast side of the Green Library.



Third Phase is priced at $461,710 with a total of 1,382 feet. This section begins by the sidewalk of the North side entrance of the Recreation Complex running 670 feet from West to East to the Public Safety Tower Building North side and the School of International and Public Affairs Building South side. The other section will begin by the South entrance of the Ryder Business Building to 50 feet Southeast and then will interconnect with another 170 feet going South to the Public Safety Tower Building North side and 520 feet of covered walkway going east which meets with the West side of the Green Library.

Fourth Phase is priced at $387,200 with a total of 1,160 feet.

It will begin by the East entry of the Charles Perry Building (Primera Casa) and connect to the South entry of the Ernest R. Graham University Center with 143 feet going from West to East.

This other segment of will have a 522 feet running South which will be located at the mid-center of the existing covered walkway that connects the Charles Perry Building (Primera Casa) and Parking Garage 1 Gold. Another section will connect the South entrance of the Parking Garage 1 Gold and Parking Garage 2 Blue which consists of 93 feet from North to South.

Finally, the following segment with 402 feet of covered walkway will begin by the back South entrance of the Deuxiume Maison going Southwest to the University Towers buildings' entrance.



Project Schedule

Phase 1 - (110days) work will begin May 21, 2012 until August 17, 2012 and will proceed the construction of Phase 1 in September 3, 2012 until October 12, 2012 (Stop of construction due to the beginning of school's semester).

Phase 2 - (126 days) work will begin October 12, 2012 until January 4, 2013 and will proceed the construction of Phase 2 in January 21, 2013 until March 16, 2013 (Stop of construction due to the beginning of school's semester).

Phase 3 - (125 days)work will begin March 18, 2013 until May 3,2013 and will proceed the construction of Phase 3 in May 20, 2013 until August 23, 2013 (Stop of construction due to the beginning of school's semester).

Phase 4 - (104 days) work will begin September 9, 2013 until January 4,2014 if the work gets delay, the construction will proceed two weeks after semester begins.

The following table presents the estimated time and liner feet per covered walkway segment, plus the estimated cost per phase.

Phases Segment Construction Time(estimation) Length(Linear Ft) Cost1 1 2.5 months 659 $ 410,140.00

2 2.25 months 5692 1 6 months 1320 $ 469,170.00

2 Combined with segment 1 413 Combined with segment 1 43

3 1 2.5 months 712 $ 461,710.00 2 2.25 months 670

4 1 1 month 402 $ 387,200.00 2 Combined with segment 1 1433 1 month 5224 Combined with segment 3 93

Total 11 17.5 months 5174 $ 1,728,220.00



Survey Results

1. Do you live on campus?

Yes

No

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

2. Are you an undergraduate or graduate?

Undergraduate

Graduate

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

3. During what time do you attend class or come on campus?

Daytime

Nighttime

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

4. Has weather (besides a Hurricane) ever stopped or prevented you from coming to class or work on campus?

Yes

No

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100



5. Do you own an umbrella?

Yes

No

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

6. Is excess sun or UV exposure a concern for you?

Yes

No

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

7. Would you be in favor of an expansion of the covered walkways on campus, connecting more buildings and providing you shelter from the rain and sun?

Yes

No

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

8. How old are you?

18-30

31-40

41-50

51 and up

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100



9. What is your sex?

Male

Female

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Rainfall and Temperature Charts

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec0123456789

10

Average Rainfall

Months

Inch

es

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec65

70

75

80

85

90

95

Average Temperature

Months

Degr

ess F



Work Cited

World meteorological association. (2012, April 07). Retrieved from http://worldweather.wmo.int/093/c00267f.htm

de Gruijl, F. R. (1999). Skin cancer and solar uv radiation. European Journal of Cancer,35(14), 2003-2009. doi: http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.fiu.edu/10.1016/S0959-8049(99)00283-X

Bows, Finchley. Covered Walkways Across Various Public Institutions. Web. 29 April 2011.<http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Finchley_Bows>

"The Many Advantages of Covered Walkways." walkways4u.com . Web. 10 November 2009. http://www.walkways4u.com/blog/tag/why-build-covered-walkways/

Rusco Custom Canopies. Home page. A Knoxville Internet Production. Copyright 2011. Web. 13 April 2012. <http://ruscocanopies.com/walkwaycovers.shtml


http://www.knoxvilleinternet.com/

http://www.walkways4u.com/blog/tag/why-build-covered-walkways/

http://www.walkways4u.com/blog/2009/11/10/the-many-advantages-of-covered-walkways/

http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Finchley_Bows

ttp://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.fiu.edu/10.1016/S0959-8

http://worldweather.wmo.int/093/c00267f.htm

Documents

Proposal to Install Covered Walkways Throughout the FIU Campus Final